There are a lot of things wrong with the title for this post, but I’m a creature of habit so I’m sticking with it.  Speaking of habit, January means getting up before 5:00 in the morning to make the trek down to JT’s place to run a bunch of awesome miles with a great group of people.

Those CRUD guys can’t keep a course together to save their lives, having lost big chunks of the original due to fire and the second-string due to floods.  No matter.  You just have to start running with the compass pointed NW, W, or SW and you are sure to find some amazing terrain.  Kudos on another great tour of the area.

What they lack in course luck is more than made up for in weather luck.  Outstanding.  Every single time.  I love being able to pop down there and run in shorts and a T-shirt on real trails!

I started in the 07:00 group with what seemed to be at least a couple dozen runners.  It was fun to renew old friendships and make new ones as the miles went by.

The sunrise was incredible and we all knew a great day was in store.  The warm light on the rocks in Garden of the Gods combined with the moon setting over Pikes Peak were too much for me to resist and I had to keep stopping and snapping pics, then burning a small match or two in order to catch back up.  It was worth it.

The early morning light was fantastic.

The fun and games were over once we hit the Incline.  A cruel jumble of old railroad ties pasted onto the side of a cliff, so it seemed.  That took a toll on the legs as I fought to keep from falling over backwards while grinding my way up the 2,000′ ascent in a mile.  Patrick, Jaime, Nick, and the rest all make it look so easy!

I was in no-mans land now, and stopped several times to take more pictures before meeting up with JT, Ryan, Brad, and Paul at the summit of Rocky Mountain.

I took a final shot of Pikes Peak and then left the camera stashed for the rest of the day.  We all ran together for a good while, and stopped to refuel at a great little aid station they had set up.  I don’t know who it was giving up the morning to take care of us, but if you’re out there – thank you!

I left the aid station a little before the others and was on my own after that.  I missed a key turn and chopped off a couple of miles, but it all worked out for the best.  I made it home at just the right time.

I ended up with 21.9 miles.  I think the official course this year was 25.9.

Strava details here.  I never stopped the watch, probably accumulated at least an hour of standing around.

Thanks to JT for hosting and Team CRUD for putting on another great event!